Serge Gennaux

(b. 13 January 1938, Belgium)

Serge Gennaux is a Belgian comic artist, who is best-known for his humorous comics for Spirou magazine. He began his career working in the realistic genre, however, with the hard-boiled illustrated serial 'Du Grisbi en Vrac' for Héroic Albums, before becoming the apprentice of Maurice Tillieux in 1957. Two years later, he joined the art studios of the publishing house Dupuis, where he was initially assigned to do the lettering for Robbedoes, the Dutch equivalent of Spirou magazine.

Starting in 1960, he was one of the most prominent providers of short filler comics and mini-books for Spirou magazine, which he made either alone or in cooperation with Charles Degotte, Hubuc or Salvé. Between 1968 and 1972, he drew his first series, starring the gangsters 'Loryfland et Chifmol', with scripts by Raoul Cauvin. In addition, Gennaux wrote scripts for Willy Lambil's series 'Hobby et Koala' and 'Sandy et Hoppy'. During this period, he also cooperated on the first animated 'Smurfs' cartoons.

In 1965, Gennaux created his best-known character, 'L'Homme aux Phylactères'. Starring in series of gags about a man and his word balloons, the strip played with the conventions of the comics medium and after some first appearances in 1965-66 it became a regular feature in Spirou until between 1978 and 1985. Most of the plot ideas were delivered by Raoul Cauvin. In addition, Gennaux was present in Tintin with the humorous medieval series 'Le Chevallier qui Venait du Froid'.

During the 1970s and 1980s Gennaux and the artist Jamic created weekly TV parodies for Télé-Moustique under the titles 'Les Télé-Graphistes' and 'Les Émissions Impossibles'. During this period, he was also responsible for the lay-outs of the Dupuis magazines Bonne Soirée, Humo and Télé-Moustique. He launched the pocket magazine Télé Vision in 1992, and served as its editor-in-chief.